Excursion to Malta and surrounding islands !
Knotty Girl
Tanya/Roberto
Sat 10 Jun 2023 10:14
| 35:53.2N 14:31.1E After two (one to get to Portopalo (south of Sicily and one to cross from there to Malta) long pretty uncomfortable navigations - meaning a swell coming from the side of the boat and little wind coming from the back - we were pleased to arrive in Marina di Valletta in Malta. Leaving PortoPalo we saw the recently (2017) build luxury charter yacht RHEA full sails out - beautiful ! Entering the marina is beautiful as the marina is located below the majestic historic fortifications of Valletta City, the Capital of Malta. Our dear friends Ingrid and Jean-Luc - who landed on that same day and who are regularly sailing with us joined us on that same evening. The next day was spent : 1. Grocery shopping - well I should say - given that Roberto discovered that Greens Supermarket delivered food on the boat till midnight - ordering online our food which we asked to be delivered between 9 and 12 pm (and we were indeed delivered at 11 pm…) ! 2. Visiting la Valletta which is recognised by UNESCO for its historical - marked by the Order of Malta - and cultural value and which is Malta’s capital was very interesting! We saw many buildings with baroque character. The Roman Catholic Co-Cathedral of St. John’s the Baptist is mind-boggling. It was started in 1572 and finished in 1577 and is considered to be one of the best example of the high Baroque architecture anywhere in Europe and easy to believe that is true ! The Grand Master’s palace - one of the first building built in Valletta in 1571 and which host currently the President’s office and the House of Representative is well worth looking at, although we could not visit the interior. Walking in the alleys of the Upper Barrakka Gardens - namely colonnaded gardens - is beautiful as from there is a wonderful view of the island of Malta. 3. We then took a small wooden boat (like the ones you see in Asia) to visit the Vittoriosa peninsula and in particular to wander its empty narrow streets, the first house build on the peninsula, and wander Vittoriosa’s waterfront. The next day we motored (no wind) along the beautiful south/south west coast of Malta which has impressive sheer drop cliffs as high as 250 meters made of yellow, white and sometimes red coloured rocks and that appear as natural forts. We stopped in the nice bay of Il Bajja Foramer Rhin for lunch and then passed in front of both the crystal and blue lagoons around Comino island (yet did not stop as it was Sunday and full of boats !) then we crossed (very short crossing) to the island of Gozo - we moored in the very busy (lots of passengers boats) Mgarr Harbour from where we visited the impressive Citadel of Victoria. The Cittadella contains churches and other historic buildings, and from there is an impressive view of both the rest of Gozo island and of Malta island ! The next day we had a gentle sail on the west coast of Gozo and stopped in the breath taking bay of Il- Gabla Tal-General. The bay is partially “encircled” by the fungus rock - a 65 meter high rock on which grows specific plants with apparently a lot of virtues... and still protected today. From there we took our dinghy to pass through a cave in the form of a long tunnel that leads us to an interior salted lake. Quite special I must say ! After lunch we had a walk on the cliffs and visited the Dwejra tower. The building of the tower was completed in 1652. The main reason why the tower was built was to act as a watch post to supervise any Ottoman fleets in the vicinity. However another factor possibly influenced this decision – the presence of the General’s Root plant (Scientific name: Cynomorium coccineum) on the nearby Fungus/General’s Rock which was thought to have special Medicinal powers, curing any type of disease including syphilis. To prevent thieves from climbing, the sides of the rock were smoothened in 1744 and the only access was by means of a wooden box which ran on two ropes by means of four small wheels. One can still observe parts of the mechanism used for this purpose. Theft was punishable by death sentence. The General’s Rock is now a nature reserve, so access is still strictly limited. We then had an exhilarating sail back to Malta island - in one of the only bay protected from the forecasted heavy wind - namely Ir-Ramia a’Ghan Tuffieha close to “Golden Beach". As forecasted the next day was very windy - gust at 35 knots which means that Roberto wanted to stay on the boat and Tanya too for private reasons. Yet, Jean-Luc and Ingrid were taken ashore with our dinghy and visited Mdina and the Neolithic temples of Hgar Kim and Mnajdra. They were pleasantly surprised and satisfied by their visit ! The day after was less windy, yet gray and rainy which did not stop us from taking our dinghy to explore walking the rocky surroundings. In particular the beautiful “Quarraba bay” close to Golden Bay with its crystal clear water and sand like rocks. The next morning was sunny and without wind so we could finally see the crystal clear waters surrounding Knotty Girl ! We decided to head in the direction of the “blue lagoon” on Comino island before everyone else does… Well even if we arrived relatively early we were not alone… we moored on Crystal bay were a couple of boats were already anchored when we got there and which proved to be more beautiful than the “blue lagoon” itself in terms of scenery ! Jean-Luc and Ingrid went to the blue lagoon as “explorers” and spotted a nice place for us to anchor our dinghy and have a swim without jelly fishes… hurray !!! Yet as time passed, the bay became just too hectic with boats of all kinds, sizes, shapes, number of people on them, boards, kayaks, etc. so we left to motor to Grand Harbour Marina in Malta - a stunning natural harbour. We enjoyed the scenery there and had a wonderful and sweet last evening and dinner (kindly offered by our friends) on the Vittoriosa Peninsula. Overall a nice place to discover : Rich history, interesting language, a mix of cultures, an interesting architecture, beautiful rocky landscapes, clear waters.          |